How many calibers do you need? OR -Things that can't happen. Or- Excuse to buy guns.

Pain in the neck.Gold Supporter

This is all just a bunch of reasons for me to own a bunch of guns! So if you need a excuse to buy more guns then please read the following.
I like the 45 GAP. I made a choice to have guns in still common but less popular calibers. As long as it works. I like to own and carry a gun that is not so common. Some like 45acp but not 45gap. I like both. The more guns I own in different calibers. The more likely I am to be able to use ammo I find. Some have many guns in the same model and caliber. Dose it make sence to have as many calibers in a gun model as posible? At least make one of your five 45acp glocks in 45gap? Or one of your seven 1911 45acp guns in 10mm? When ammo went away last time. It was the standard ammo that went first. The oddball ammo lasted longer. And came back first. I want to be able to get ammo even if it costs more. Start with common caliber guns. Then consider others.
It looks like I have about 25 different calibers at this time. Not that hard to do realy. I enjoy learning about different guns and ammo. There is 45colt,44mag,10mm,357,7.63x25,45acp,45gap,40s&w,9mm,380acp,32acp,25acp,22lr. In handguns. And 50bmg,45-70,375win,30-06,308,30-30,22-250,223/5.56,7.62x38,30carbine [8 of those!],5.7,and .22mag. In long guns. I could be missing some.
I have a lot of ammo for the military caliber guns. Not so much for the others. Maybe a couple hundred or so. Enough to make the odd caliber guns usefull if needed. It started with buying several rifles and handguns to do different jobs. At the same time I bought guns I liked and the caliber just came with it. I don't shoot some of my guns a lot. But I will allways have a bunch of different calibers. The last ammo scramble we had turned common caliber guns into expencive clubs! Heaven forbid we ban military caliber guns like so many other countries. Even if you have five lifetimes worth of ammo it could make you a criminal to own it! People may understand you have a lot of money in guns and not pass a bill taking them away. FMJ ammo. Most will think. Thats what the army uses! People shouldn't have that! The average person dose not understand or like the idea of you having thousands of rounds of ammo. They may pass a bill taking away all but a reasonible number of rounds. And that could be as little as a hundred. Certainly not a thousand. After all what do you need with all that ammo? You must be a nut? Washington state tried this a few years ago.
If things got bad. Or laws were passed. And no more ammo was made. In twenty years will 5.56 or 7.62 be laying arround? Or 375 winchester? When my ar-15 is banned I will still have my 30 carbine. And when that is banned I will have my 94 30-30. Dont put all your eggs in one basket. But a bunch of eggs in a bunch of baskets. And if nothing happens and we dont use our guns . Just think of the all the different and cool guns you will have to play with!
So have you looked at how many calibers you have?

Well-Known Member

Pain in the neck.Gold Supporter

I thought there might be people out there sicker than I am!
To tell the truth I was suprised at how many calibers I was useing. I just never stoped and counted. It was'nt untill I put one of every caliber I shot on top of my safe as a display that I realy thought about it. Then I asked myself why I liked to have soo many and made this post. I know there must be others with 25 or more calibers in use.
Nwcid. I grew up kinda in that area. Just north of Goldendale near the reservation. There are a lot of coyotes and rodents in that part of the world. I bet you have plenty to shoot at!

Active Member

I have tried to keep it simple, even buying handgun-carbine combinations. Even so I have ended up with .22LR, .22 magnum, 6mm, 30-06, 8x57, .30 carbine, .357 magnum, .44 magnum, 9mm, and 12 gauge. That is 10 calibers for 17 guns. However, 90% of my shooting seems to be with 1 caliber, .357 magnum, and the 3 handguns and 1 carbine I have in that caliber. I might have limited my expenses considerably by starting and sticking to that caliber in the beginning.

Member EmeritusSilver Supporter

Just a couple of not quite mainstream calibers. .22K Hornet and 6mm Remington. Don't know if .25/35 Winchester would count but I still like to shoot it. It was my Mothers deer rifle. She used to take a big Mule Deer buck out in the hills of Eastern Nevada every year. When I read Elmer Keith had written that it wasn't enough gun for deer I laughed myself silly! Maybe not in his hands. Sorry, got carried away there.

Active Member

I also try to keep it simple. I only own a handful of calibers, and that's the way I like it. I only stock for those calibers, and I like a lot of ammo on hand. If I threw in others I would have to stock thousands of rounds. My ammo collection already confuses me sometimes, I couldn't imagine more calibers.

Pain in the neck.Gold Supporter

Thats how I started buying from the CMP. They had there add for cheep 30-06 ammo in the American Rifleman for months. At about 24cents a round I bought thousands of rounds of that Greek ammo. Then I needed to buy to buy a M1 to shoot it!
I allso once bought a rifle to fit a bayonet I was given. Dosn't take much of a reason to ''need'' a gun.

Bronze SupporterBronze Supporter

only a few calibers for me: 22LR for 2 pistols and 3 rifles, 9mm for 2 pistols, .223 (or 5.56) for the AR15's, finally 300savage and 30-06 for the inherited hunting rifles. I'd really like to add a 9mm carbine of some kind to the collection and I'll also probably add more 22LR rifles. Right now I'm looking for a left handed bolt action 22 for my son.

Well-Known Member

.22lr, couple based around the .223, then a couple more based around the .257, then have some more based around the .308 then even some more based around the .338 then two around the .358 then I have the .458 coming some day from RRA...
Then there is the pistols starting with the .22lr and a few in the .25, had to have some in the 9mm but totally skip the .40, but do have some in the .357 but most in the .451, sold the the .452 and regret it. Have one in the .44 but still wanting the .501...
with shotty stuff kept it all to the 12ga stuff.. but might get me a .410 thingy some day..

Well-Known Member

I too am in the KISS category - even to the point of using the same bullets to reload .38 Special and 9mm. I discovered the Laser Cast 125 gr. .356 RN gave excellent accuracy out of my Taurus 605 so now I can consolidate those calibers a little more. Same with powder and looks like I found out what will work for me in Titegroup. I can keep one powder measure set to a dedicated 4 grains to load 9, 38 and .45. Can't do much to consolidate rifle calibers but I tend shoot 9mm .38/.357 and .45 ACP mostly.

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